Beckie Royer
|parents = Mr. Royer and Trish Royer |family = Myrtle Bentley (grandmother) Louise (great-aunt) Luke (great-uncle) Ethel Snodgrass (distant cousin) |type of appearance = Direct }}Rebecca "Beckie" Royer (b. ca. AD 2080) was a teenager from the nation-state of California in an alternate where the United States failed a few decades after its creation. In 2097, Beckie traveled to the country of Virginia with her grandmother, Myrtle Bentley. Her grandmother's brother-in-law, Uncle Luke, drove them across the border from Ohio into Elizabeth, Virginia. Luke brought a substantial number of firearms into Virginia with him, using his passengers' California passports as shields. Beckie knew what Luke was up to, but kept her peace until after he dropped them off in Elizabeth. For the most part, Beckie was left cold by Elizabeth. She and her grandmother didn't get along particularly well; Myrtle was far more interested in catching up with her cousin, Ethel Snodgrass. Beckie was able to connect with Ethel's husband, Ted. Moreover, the visit was overshadowed by the pending Ohio-Virginia War of 2097. While Beckie was out for a walk, someone shot at her from the top of Jephany Knob. Ohio and Virginia declared war on each other days after this incident. The day after the official declaration, Ted Snodgrass received a visit from Randolph Brooks, the owner of the Charleston Coin and Stamp Company. Brooks had a coin that Snodgrass wanted for his collection. With Brooks came his "nephew", Justin Monroe, a young man the same age as Beckie. (No one knew that both Brooks and Justin were from another timeline.) Relieved to have someone her own age to talk to, Beckie struck up a friendship with Justin. Almost immediately, Beckie quizzed Justin on his views of race relations in Virginia. Justin candidly admitted he wasn't happy about the situation, which surprised her. That afternoon, news reports came in that Ohio had released a mutated measles virus in to Virginia in their first strike. Virginia Consul Pendleton ordered the country under quarantine, stranding Beckie and her grandmother in Elizabeth. Shortly after, Beckie decided that her attempted murder may have had something to do with the war, and notified the town sheriff, Chester Cochrane, who dutifully investigated. Frustrated by the war and the quarantine, Beckie was grateful for Justin Monroe's friendship. They spent a fair amount of time together, as Justin and Randy Brooks were also trapped in Elizabeth. Beckie began to suspect her friend was more than he appeared. The first clue came when Justin admitted his disdain for Virginia's racial hierarchy, something no "proper" white Virginian would admit to. Later, Justin seemed evasive about rounders and other sports, particularly when Beckie asked his opinion of George Herman, a famous rounders player. The war also turned Beckie's thoughts to the history of North America. She grew sentimental for the long-failed United States. While her host, Ted Snodgrass, seemed to think that a successful United States would have been worse than the present system, Beckie disagreed. When she share these ideas with Justin, he seemed agitated. A few days into the war, Beckie and Justin climbed Jephany Knob after two days of thuderstorms. There they found the body of Charlie Clark, the Negro janitor for the town of Elizabeth. He'd been hit by lightening. In his hand, he still held an assault rifle. After reporting it, both Beckie and Justin were questioned by the Virginia Bureau of Investigation, and cleared. Shortly after that, Ethel Snodgrass developed the measles, and died. Beckie, suspicious of Justin's origins, kept trying to get him to open up. Bluntly, Justin stated it was impossible, and effectively terminated their friendship, although he did remain cordial enough with Beckie to share his plan to get back to Charleston by impersonating a dead soldier. Some days after that, it was clear that Ohio would gain the upper-hand in Elizabeth. Justin had since put his plan into action, a fact Beckie confirmed for Randy Brooks. Brooks decided that he would also be leaving Elizabeth. Beckie and her grandmother convinced him to take them with him. While reluctant, Brooks agreed. Beckie was soon impressed with Brooks' ability to handle Myrtle's sour disposition. When the arrived in Charleston, Brooks put Beckie and Myrtle up in a motel. A few hours later, Myrtle began showing signs of the measles. Beckie approached Brooks and Justin (who'd made his way in Charleston the previous day) for help. Justin said he'd see what he could do. Some hours later, Justin provided Myrtle with the cure. He said good-bye to Beckie, giving her an envelope, and making her promise that she wouldn't open it until she got home. Shortly after her arrival and a warm reunion with her parents, Beckie opened the envelope, and found a coin from 2091, made in the United States. Beckie began to see where Justin perhaps came from. Category:Californians (Disunited States) Category:2080s Births Category:Royers